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Each year, as we approach Christmas, I'm certain that my mother loses her mind a little bit. In a good way, of course.

We drove into our old hometown today to pick up our granddaughter for our every-third-weekend sleepover. It’s about an hour’s drive from us to pick her up, so we maximize on the trip by taking her with us to my mother’s house before returning home.

Arriving at my mother’s house this afternoon, I was struck by my mother’s holiday spirit. She’s had one helluva year, suffered some pretty severe roof and cosmetic damage from hurricane Ike, and yet is still infused with the enthusiasm of a child when it comes to Christmas.

Her front yard, from left to right:

And peeking between, to the front patio:

She does the same sort of thing for Halloween, but nothing on the scale she does up Christmas. And, to hear her tell it, she’s only half done!

I told her tonight I thought it was really cool that she worked hard all year to pay her Christmas electric bills!

Scott and I were talking about all of Mom's decorations tonight, and the amount of storage space it takes in her attic for 10 1/2 months out of each year. He kind of shook his head, but I could see it wasn't really sinking in.

Until I reminded him that one day, all of those decorations will probably be ours, that is...

Feather...loving the decorations. I know all the kids love your mom’s house. So much to look at. Have you all had the rash of raindeer mountings yet? Our neighbors woke up to their raindeers “doing the nasty” on the front yard last year! I wish I had taken a picture of it...very funny.